Air inlet means, especially in ceiling panels or wall panels



Aug. 1151959 P. A. PALMER I I 2,898,838

" AIR INLET MEANS, ESPECIALLY IN CEILING PANELSOR WALL PANELS Filed NOV. 5, 1956 v 4 sh t s l 00000000000000 o'oooooooooooooo 1 O on 5 000000000000 00 0 oooooooooooo o 0- 0 -4 ooooooooo'cooooo U ATTORNEY 1 1959 RA. PALMER 2, 9 8 Y AIR INLET MEANS, ESPECIALLY IN CEILING PANELS 0R WALL PANELS Filed Nov. 5, 1956 4 Shets-Sheet 2' INVENTOR PE Amazes PAL/wag ATTORNEY Aug. 11, 1959v A.PALMER 2,898,838

I AIR INLET MEANS, ESPECIALLY IN CEILING PANELS OR WALL PANELS Filed Nov. 5, 195a 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR A/vpE s P L/wag ATTORNEY Aug. 11, 1959 1=.A.PALMEIR4 I 2,898,838

AIR-INLET MEANS, ESPECIALLY IN CEILING PANELS OR WALL PANELS 8 Filed Nov. 5, 1956 I I 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR P5 A/voees PALME/Q ATTORNEY United States Patent AIR INLET MEANS, ESPECIALLY IN CEILING PANELS R WALL PANELS Per Anders Palmr, Stockholm, Sweden Application November 5, 1956,SerialN0. 620,448

(Ilaims priority, application Switzerland November 7, 1955' a 11 Claims. (Cl.,9840) ceiling. This is due to the fact that the air blown in.

through the air inlet openings generates turbulence and backflow of the air in the room, causing the room air to sweep over the .area encircling the air inlet opening and to deposit on this encircling area particles and vapors .existing in the room air. On this account the air inlet opening finally will be surrounded by disturbing and blackened sections which will :give the ceiling a less attractive appearance.

The main object of the invention is to eliminate or aggravate the creation of such turbulating room air sweeping over the room facing side of the panel or at least to slow down such turbulence. An object of the invention is also to provide panels suitable for room lining and H having a good sound absorbing effect. A further object of the invention is to provide a combined panel having air inlet openings preventing dirt deposits from the room air and at the same time having good sound absorption properties.

The invention is mainly characterized in that the room facing orifice of the air inlet nozzle or opening is surrounded by one or more recesses provided in the panel or a corresponding surface, .said recesses being adapted to slow down the turbulence of the room air about the air inlet opening, and to prevent the turbulating air from sweeping over the area encircling the air inlet opening and from depositing there dirtying particles and vapors existing in the room air.

The invention will now be described in connection with some embodiments of the same shown in the accompanying drawings, these embodiments are only examples of the invention but do not limit the scopethereof.

Figure 1 is a view from below showing an embodiment of a panel according to the invention for lining of a ceiling or the like;

Figure 2 is a cross sectional elevation of .the panel according to Fig. 1 in a larger scale;

Figure 3 is a cross sectional elevation ofanother embodimentof the panel according to the invention;

Figures 4 and 5 show a further embodiment of the panel, in a view from below and in a cross sectional elevation, respectively;

Figure 6 is a cross sectional elevation of a part of still another embodiment of a panel according to the invention;

Figure 7 is an end view and Figure 8 is a view from below of a modified embodiment of a panel according to the invention;

Figure 9 is a fragmentary view of the embodiment according to Figures 7 and 8, in a larger scale;

Figure 10 is a longitudinal section of a fragment .of Figure 9 along line X--X in the latter,

Figure 11 is a fragmentary cross section of a modified design .of the panel according to Figures 7 and .8 along line YY in Fig. 12;

Figure 12 is a top plan view of the panel according to Figure 11.

The panel shown in Figures 1 and 2 for lining of a ceiling .or a wall .of a room consists of a panel v1 facing the room, for instance of gypsum or similar strong casting compound and in this case designed integrally with the air inlet nozzle 4 which, for instance, has its orifice 4a projecting slightly downwards below the room facing surface of the panel. The back portion of panel 1 is provided with a suitable sound absorbing material 3,, for instance mineral wool, cellular cement, cellular gypsum, or other material suitable for this purpose. That panel section facing the room is provided with bores, channels or apertures 2 or the like, preferably arranged in a symmetrical pattern. Said channels or apertures may pass entirely through the panel or else leave unaifected a thin diaphragm 2a at the back side of panel 1. This diaphragm does not appreciably prevent the sound from entering into the sound absorbing material ,3. Close to orifice 4a of the air inlet opening a recess 5 is arranged in the room facing side of panel 1 about the orifice. This recess together with adjacent apertures 2, .if any, will contribute towards obstructing the tendency of .the room air to sweep over, under the action of the air delivered through the nozzle or channel 4, the room facing side of .panel 1by turbulence or back flow and to deposit accompanying dirtying particles and vapors on the orilfice part 4a. In recess 5 the air will become more or less stagnant. Hence, .recess 5 and to a certain extent apertures 2 will confine the dirtying occurring due to the fact that the delivered fresh air causes .a back flow of the dirty room air. The obstruction of the air turbulence is due to the fact, that the turbulent air sweeping over the panel surface around the air inlet opening is subjected to expansion and thus to a reduction of the velocity when passing a recess. The ceiling will thus obtain a clean appearance. To this result also contributes the fact that the shading of recess 5 and apertures 2 also eliminates the impression which the dirt deposits otherwise would cause.

Figures 1 and '2 primarily bear upon illustrating a case of a tubular air inlet channel 4 but as a matter of principle the invention is not changed if the air inlet instead comprises a longitudinal slot, on either side surrounded by recesses 5 obstructing the turbulence of theroom air. The air inlet 4 and the recess 5 may also be provided at the joints between two adjacent panels, one half of the inlet and recess being provided in one panel and the other half in the other panel.

Figures 3 and 4 show that the orifice 4a of air channel 4 may be concentrically surrounded by several recesses 5, 6 ,in the room facing side of the panel. Among these recesses, recess 5 situated next to air inlet orifice 4a is comparatively 'wide and deep and is surrounded by concentric rings of recesses 6 of smaller width and depth which contribute to the slowing down action on the room air. Figure 3 shows that orifice 4a may end flush with the surface -of panel 1. Recesses 6 maybe substituted by chamfers or the like.

The embodiment shown in Figures 4 and 5 includes a primary air nozzle 9 with surrounding recesses 11, having a greater width and depth, and a number of recesses 12, having a smaller width and/or depth and being situated peripherally to recesses 11 and preferably arranged in a symmetrical and concentric grouping. In order to eliminate the aesthetically less attractive effect which appears at the sight of a through black air inlet hole of the air inlet nozzle, it is proposed according to the invention to give the air inlet channel 8, 9 an angularly bent shape, preferably in the shape of a right angled knee 10 so that the otherwise dark channel opening will expose a surface which may be adopted to the color of the room facing side of the panel. The panel surface in knee 10 appearing from the room will in itself look lighter than a black hole but it may in addition be painted or covered by a suitable covering layer.

Moreover, in accordance with Figures 4 and 5 in order to improve the slowing down efiect upon the room air and eliminate its flow along the panel, secondary air, preferably having a lower pressure than the primary air, may be supplied at least to the recess 11 situated close to primary air inlet opening 9 through separate channels 13. The air supply to air inlet channel 8, 9 can be adjusted, as regards the air speed as well as volume, by an adequate dimensioning of the inlet opening, channel, or slot 7, or the number of such openings.

In one and all embodiments the air is supplied to the air inlet nozzles or air inlet openings from an air distributing chamber situated behind panel 1, 3.

Figure 6 shows a panel 1 according to the invention having air inlet slots or channels 14 ending into offset recesses 15 in panel 1 whereby an effect similar to that of knee is obtained. It is advisable to make one Wall of channel or slot 14 continuous with one Wall of recess 15. This design is advantageous when panel 1 is to be painted, since this will prevent the paint from clogging channel 14.

Apertures 2 of Figure 2 arranged for sound absorption may, according to Figures 7 to 12, be substituted by slot shaped recesses 17 in the room facing side of the panel, said recesses being approximately parallel and preferably evenly distributed. In this case the air supply is performed, for instance, through oblong slots 18 suitably being substantially parallel to said recesses 17 and preferably arranged in such a manner that, in respective slot 18, each of the longitudinal channel walls of the slot channel will be positioned adjacent to one of the parallel recesses 17 of the panel. The channel connected to the air inlet slot may be straight (Figure 10) or knee shaped (Figure 11). In the last mentioned case the channel includes mutually offset channel sections 18 and 18a. The transverse end walls of air inlet channel 18 may also be surrounded by recesses 20 (Figures 9 and 10). Recesses 17 and slots 18 may also be arranged between two adjacent panels, one half of said recesses and slots being provided in each of the panels.

As for instance shown in Figure 11, recesses 17 of the panel may have an approximately rectangular cross section preferably in such a manner that each recess has an outer, rectangular, wider section which stepwise turns into a possibly narrower rectangular inner section, one wall of which preferably being continuous with one wall of the wider section in approximately the same way as in Figure 6.

In the embodiment according to Figures 11 and 12 the quantity of air supplied may, for instance, be controlled by the cross section of channel portion 18 being made narrower or wider. In these figures the sound absorbing material is shown at 16. However, the invention does not confine itself to the air inlet openings and sound absorption openings being arranged in one and the same panel. They may also be arranged independently of each other in separate panels.

What I claim is:

l. A covering for the enclosing surface of a room comprising panel means formed with passageways extending through the same for supplying air to the room, each of said passageways having a surrounding wall portion forming a projecting lip extending at least to the room surface of said panel means and recesses formed in said roof surface side of said panel means and surrounding said projecting lips, whereby the velocity of room air induced by the flow of entrant air through said passageways and passing along the side of said panel facing, said room is diminished about said passageways.

2. A covering as in claim 1, said panel means being formed with additional recesses extending thereinto from said room surface side.

3. A covering as in claim 2, said additional recesses being in spaced relation and forming a symmetrical pattern throughout said panel means.

4. A covering as in claim 2, said additional recesses being in the form of grooves.

5. A covering as in claim 1, said air supplying passageways being circular in cross section and spaced additional recesses formed in said panel means and extending thereinto from said room surface side, said additional recesses being concentric with respect to said air supplying passageways, being in spaced relationship with respect to each other and with respect to said recesses surrounding said projecting lips.

6. A covering as in claim 1, said air supplying passageways being rectangular in cross section and additional recesses formed in said panel means and extending thereinto from said room surface side, said additional recesses being in the form of elongated grooves, said grooves being parallel to and spaced from each other and with respect to a side of said rectangular passageways.

7. A covering as in claim 1, said projecting lip extending out beyond said room surface side of said panel means.

8. A covering as in claim 1, said projecting lip terminating in a surface lying substantially flush with said room surface side of said panel means.

9. A covering as in claim 1 and including supplemental air passageways extending through said panel means and opening out into said recesses.

10. A covering as in claim 1, said air passageways having a'portion of the length thereof offset laterally with respect to another portion of the length thereof to provide a shoulder viewable from said room surface side of said panel means.

11. A covering as in claim 1, and including supplemental recesses formed in said panel means through said room surface side thereof, said supplemental recesses being in the form of grooves and said grooves having an outer section of one width and an inner section of lesser width, one of the side walls of said groove being formed with a step and the other side wall of said groove being substantially straight.

References Cited in the file of this patent 

